Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Radiation dose is a global issue, which is evident in a new article we're featuring this week on efforts to reduce radiation dose in Dubai.
Struck by international reports on medical radiation overdoses and facing a doubling of CT volume over a half-decade, researchers at Dubai Hospital embarked on a program to reduce CT dose through aggressive monitoring and intervention.
They measured the success of the program in a population of more than 9,000 children and adults, and found that radiation dose was reduced by as much as 50% for some exams. Read more by clicking here.
Minnies winners
In other news, we've announced the winners of the 2013 edition of the Minnies, AuntMinnie.com's annual event recognizing excellence in radiology.
This year's awards emphasize the continuing importance of CT to medical imaging, some four decades after the technology was invented. Nearly a half-dozen Minnies winners had some connection to CT, from Dr. U. Joseph Schoepf, who was named Most Influential Radiology Researcher, to Sectra DoseTrack, a software application for managing radiation dose that was named Best New Radiology Software.
See this year's winners by clicking here or going to minnies.auntminnie.com.
Ultrasound device busts clots
Finally, visit our Ultrasound Digital Community this week for an article on how a novel ultrasound-based device can be used with tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) therapy to bust clots in patients with ischemic stroke.
The device, ClotBust-ER from Cerevast Therapeutics, fits around a patient's head like a high-tech headband and uses multiple transducers to send sonic energy into the brain. The theory is that the ultrasound waves in conjunction with tPA will bust clots more quickly than tPA alone.
Researchers from Texas found that ischemic stroke patients treated with the device had higher rates of recanalization, compared with historic rates when tPA alone was used.
Read more by clicking here, or visit the community at ultrasound.auntminnie.com.
